ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A new drone program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was on full display Tuesday during the airport’s Operations, Safety, Security, and Risk Expo.
“What we’re doing is getting together and really sharing knowledge,” said Jordan Biegler, assistant general manager for operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The expo, now in its eighth year, was held inside the Georgia International Convention Center. Representatives from several of the nation’s biggest airlines, including Atlanta-based Delta, and other industry experts were all in one location.
“We’ve got educational workshops, and we’ve got live demonstrations,” said Biegler.
One of those live demonstrations included Hartsfield-Jackson’s new drone inspection program, which launched in early January.
Geoffrey Gaskin helps lead the team that’s tasked with ensuring the airport’s perimeter fencing is secure and its runways are smooth and debris-free. Today, drones help with that process.
“We actually found some depressions in the safety areas that we were not aware of, that you wouldn’t see because of the grass covering and all that. It’s really helped us up our game,” said Geoffrey Gaskin, assistant director for airside operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Atlanta’s airport, spanning 4,700 acres, now joins the likes of Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport, in using cutting-edge aerial technology to keep its more than 100 million passengers safe year-round.
“When I go home, I fly around the neighborhood, something like that – but now I get to do it and get paid to do it so that’s even better,” said Gaskin.
During the expo, airport leaders handed out awards to 23 airport employees who actively demonstrate safety on the job.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.